Volunteers Across the Country

alt text Thanks to the many volunteers, the Stuttering Foundation exhibit booths have enjoyed a hearty success across the United States this year as health professionals, educators and SLPs all showed great interest in the many new materials on display.

North Carolina

The response to the SFA materials was overwhelming at the North Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association conference!" said Rita Thurman, M. S. "It was interesting to see all the networking that occurred around the booth. I heard many discussions that started like this: "I need help with a child that...

There was an atmosphere of excitement about services for people who stutter that was generated by the booth's presence, she said. So often therapists feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to treat children or adults who stutter, I feel that the booth provided materials to empower them in this process.

West Virginia

The SFA booth was also well received at West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Association conference, according to Kenneth O. St. Louis, Ph.D.

"Many attendees commented that they appreciate the SFA presence at their state convention and hope it continues," he said.

South Carolina

"The brochures in Spanish were especially popular at the South Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association conference," said volunteer Wendy Wingard-Gay, M.S. The Carolinas have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Hispanics relocating so the Spanish publications are quite helpful for SLPs working in all settings.

Many thanks to our volunteers!

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.